Overheard a client call their last freelancer 'cheap and easy' at a coffee shop

I was working at The Daily Grind yesterday and the person at the next table was on a call, telling someone they just needed a 'cheap and easy' writer for a blog project. It made me realize they probably said the same thing about me before I raised my rates. How do you get past being seen as the budget option when you start charging what you're worth?

4 comments

4 Comments

gray3142mo ago

My moving company lost a cheap client... then tripled our income with better ones.

the_leo2mo ago

Tripled it from what?

faithpatel5d ago

Wait, isn't that kind of a dangerous way to look at it though? Like yeah, you dropped a cheap client and found better ones, but what if you never found those better ones? A lot of small businesses can't afford to wait around hoping the next client is better, they need every dollar they can get right now. Plus, cheap clients still pay the bills and keep your team busy during slow seasons. I get that you want to work with people who value your service, but dumping a paying customer feels like a big risk unless you already have backup. Feels like people say this stuff when they're already in a good spot, not when they're actually struggling.

mila_murphy2mo ago

That's a good way to look at it actually.